


Just To Try It

by sitabethel



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: M/M, Thiefshipping, and jumped straight to the ending looool, it's like a friends to lovers fic only I didn't write the first 20 chapters, there's no plot in this one either
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-24
Updated: 2017-12-24
Packaged: 2019-02-19 18:31:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,949
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13129539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sitabethel/pseuds/sitabethel
Summary: Malik wants to try having sex, but doesn't want to date or meet a stranger.





	Just To Try It

They sat on top of the picnic table instead of on the benches framing either side of it. Bakura lay on his belly and played Duel Links on his phone. Malik sat cross-legged and flipped through a motorcycle magazine. Green—it surrounded them. The grass damn near glowed like polished jade, stretching from one end of the park to the other. The leaves on the trees were darker, more verdant, but lush, lush green as well. The only variation was the splashes of red, yellow, and blue paint coating the jungle gym and slides in the little playground on the opposite end of the park, and the dazzling, glittering blue lake closer by.

They sat there, like they did every Saturday afternoon that weather allowed. Bakura had carved _Thieves’ Den_ into the top of the wood with his pocket knife three years prior and no one had ever sanded the graffitti out. That was how long he and Malik had been meeting at the park on Saturday afternoons. Bakura had been back for closer to five years. Malik had lived in Domino for less than four. They used to banter and compete against each other in Duel Monster tournaments, but that somehow devolved to watching movies, sharing cartons of take-out because neither would cook, and Malik dragging Bakura outside. He teased that Bakura’s pasty complexion needed sunlight, but no matter whether they stayed at the park for an hour, or the beach all day long, his skin remained alabaster white and smooth as whipped cream. If he burned, he burned for a day or two and then the coral faded back to the same stark white. 

Malik stared at a motorcycle ad, frowning at how unattractive the man riding it was. He’d look better. Not that he had the ambition to model, but he knew he’d look better. His gaze lifted up from the page to look at Bakura swearing under his breath. Bakura in the sunlight glowed like the moon, so white that there was almost a glare. It fascinated Malik every single time he noticed. 

“You ever think about sex?” Malik asked. 

“Well, right now I’m getting completely fucked by this game.” Bakura scowled at his phone screen, not bothering to look at Malik. 

They were like that, going long stretches without talking, or half ignoring each other. When they did talk, it was 50/50 whether it’d be a real conversation or an argument, but an argument with Bakura felt easier, more natural, than a conversation with anyone else. Malik suspected Bakura felt the same, and that’s why they hung out whenever they had free time. They couldn’t bear the thought of being alone, but hated the thought of being with other people even more, so they stayed alone together. Everyone else joked that they were married, and perhaps they did act like an old married couple, but it wasn’t like that; Malik didn’t consider their afternoons in the park to be dates. He enjoyed existing on his own while beside Bakura. It was as simple as that. 

“Well, was it at least any good?” Malik snorted. 

“Not really. I didn’t get to finish.” Bakura closed out of the app. His rust-colored stare shifted to Malik’s face. “Why do you ask? Did someone solicit you for sex?”

“Fairly often, but I’d never soil my hands by touching the plebs.” Malik smirked for a moment before growing thoughtful. “But I’ve been wanting to try it.”

“Want to go to the club tonight? You’d get picked up quick enough.”

“I told you, I don’t want to mingle with the commoners.” Malik pursed his lips, wondering why he’d started the conversation. Well, he already knew why. He’d been building himself up for this for a few weeks, but now that it was happening, the acid in his stomach felt like it was going to boil up and spew out of his mouth in a wave. 

“I know the feeling all too well.” 

“I don’t exactly like the idea of fucking a stranger,” Malik continued. “But the idea of trying to enter the dating scene makes my skin crawl. I want to try sex with someone I’m already comfortable with, but who won’t expect anything specific out of the relationship.” 

“Good luck with that.” Bakura shrugged, sitting up and stretching. 

Malik watched the way Bakura’s body moved beneath his t-shirt and the way his hair shifted around his face and shoulders. Not for the first time, Malik found himself wanting to touch that body and that hair. Bakura was beautiful in the way untouched landscape was beautiful—wild, dangerous, a little melancholy in its solitude, but beckoning to be explored. 

“What about us? I don’t hate you too much,” Malik blurted out. Part of him remembered how he used to manipulate and control an entire crime organization. But here he was, years later, an awkward 23-year-old virgin potentially throwing away his only friendship in an attempt to figure out whether sex was worth the hype or not. 

“You…want to have sex?” The phone dropped from Bakura’s hand. 

“Whatever.” Malik shrugged. “I’m not pining or anything, so if you don’t want to, it’s no big deal. I just thought it might be fun if we tried it.” 

“Just to try it?” Bakura raised an eyebrow. 

“Aren’t you curious?”

“How do you know I haven’t done it?” Bakura smirked. 

“Idiot. You’ve told me you haven’t, and you hang out with me every day, so I doubt you’ve gotten a lover on the side in the last few weeks.”

“True.” Bakura laughed a little at himself. Malik noticed a soft wash of pink tinting his entire face. “So…when?”

Oh sweet Dragon of Ra, he was _agreeing_. Malik had expected laughter and rejection. He only even suggested it out loud to get the idea _out of his head_. He’d wanted Bakura to confirm what Malik already knew inside—that the idea was ridiculous and wouldn’t work whatsoever. But Bakura was flushed, and licking his lips, and waiting for Malik to suggest a time. 

“Now.” Malik’s brain betrayed him, answering before Malik had time to think about it. 

“Now? Like here and now? On the table and right in front of everyone’s salad?” 

“Not _here_.” Malik’s eyes flicked from side to side as he scanned the park. “Over there. The trees are thick and if we go deep enough into the foliage and stay quiet, no one will notice if we fool around a bit.” 

“If we go deep enough, eh?”

“Bakura.”

“No dinner first? No wine? No love poetry?”

“You’re hilarious.” Malik rolled his eyes. 

Bakura answered by jumping off the table and strolling towards the tree line without so much as a backward glance at Malik. Malik sucked in a stuttering breath, standing up as well. He shifted, trying to straighten his forming erection without touching himself in public. What exactly was he going to do to Bakura behind the trees? Not much—they didn’t have lube, and Malik didn’t want to lie on the ground. Malik pushed through the shrubs and maples. The back end of the grove was bordered by a stone wall on one side, and the pond on another. He found Bakura with his arms crossed over his chest and his body leaning against a tree trunk near the ivy-strangled stones. Blotches of sunlight and shadow dappled across Bakura’s face and Malik’s breath hitched at the sight, thinking that his feelings must have been the exact feelings one experienced when they saw a fae or a unicorn. Bakura was ancient, but he was beyond that, he was timeless. This was a thief that had cheated death, who avoided judgement and damnation not only from the gods, but from Zorc and the Shadow Realm as well. And here was this ancient creature, slumped against a tree with a blush eating away his pale complexion and his rust colored eyes trained on Malik’s every movement. 

Malik stepped into Bakura’s personal space. Drawing close, he noticed how Bakura’s hair flashed in the patches of sunlight sifting through the canopy. Malik pressed his palms against the grainy bark behind Bakura. He leaned in, pausing with parted lips just out of reach of Bakura’s mouth.

“Hurry.” Bakura frowned. 

“Shouldn’t we set some boundaries first?” 

“Don’t make it so I can’t walk tomorrow and I won’t touch your back,” Bakura said. 

Malik furrowed his brow. He thought Bakura was taunting, but as he studied Bakura’s face, he realized the once-spirit-now-human was being genuine. Bakura was so used to trashing his own body, not to mention the damage the Ring did to his soul, that he would have permitted Malik to do anything to him with only a grunt of protest. Malik sighed and shook his head no.

“I’m not shoving my dry cock up your asshole. That sounds like it’d be awful for both of us.” 

“But you said you wanted to-”

“I know what I said, but—just be quiet and let me think about how I want to do this.” 

“You have no idea what you’re doing, do you?” Bakura gave him an unimpressed look. “When you suggested it, I figured you had something specific in mind.”

“I just wanted to try it. That’s all. Nothing specific.” Malik looked away, abashed at his own lack of preparation. He had always had a plan before, back when he'd deemed himself a king. How did he sink into such low and common complacence? 

Bakura grabbed the sides of Malik’s face, straightened his head so they were gazing into each other’s eyes, and kissed him. This too was a first, for both of them, and Malik relished the texture of Bakura’s tongue against his own. This was also something Malik had wanted to try, but had never thought Bakura would agree to. They pulled apart to catch their breath, both of their chests moving with rapid, shallow hitches. 

“Oooops.” Bakura grinned as he pressed the pad of his thumb against the corner of Malik’s mouth and wiped away his spit. “Got a little carried away.”

Malik responded by slamming their mouths back together, licking and sucking at Bakura’s lips and getting both of their mouths wet again. As they kissed, Malik’s hands wandered across Bakura’s chest. Malik worked his way lower until he found the hem of Bakura’s shirt. Dipping his fingers beneath the cotton, Malik teased the smooth, delicate skin stretched over Bakura’s hips and stomach.

“ _Ahh_ ,” Bakura gasped, arching his back against the maple trunk and into Malik’s touch. 

The small, lost sound was enough to make Malik drop to his knees. He tugged down Bakura’s fly and popped the button of his jeans. Looking up, Malik met Bakura’s gaze. Bakura’s eyes were lidded, and his breathing was still quick. 

“You’d better do me next.” Malik winked before slipping Bakura’s cock out of the flap of his boxers and sealing his lips around Bakura’s shaft. 

“Oh fuck, Malik.”

Malik raised his eyebrows, looking up with Bakura’s cock half-sheathed in his mouth. 

“This sure beats beating off.” Bakura laughed at his own joke, hands pressed behind him and gripping the tree bark. 

Malik distracted himself from Bakura’s awful sense of humor by dipping lower down Bakura’s shaft. Bakura gnashed his bottom lip between his teeth, suppressing a moan. Malik slid up and down. He lapped with his tongue, coating Bakura’s dick in saliva and making it slippery so he could glide back and forth without too much friction. Bakura’s repressed whines and muffled grunts grew louder the longer Malik sucked. 

The enjoyment from the act surprised Malik. He had only decided to suck Bakura off because he wanted to get a blow job in return. He hadn’t expected to gain anything from the experience himself, but every time Bakura moaned through pressed lips, or eased his hips back and forth to deepen Malik’s movements, or twitched against Malik’s tongue, a thrill shot through Malik’s nervous system. Knowing that Bakura was enjoying the moment was in itself enjoyable, and the glossy, sleek feeling of skin against his lips and tongue was also pleasant. Malik held the base of Bakura’s cock in one hand and Bakura’s hip with the other as he bobbed his head back and forth. 

“ _Ooohhh… fuck!_ ” Bakura called out, forgetting they were outside.

Bakura came suddenly, filling Malik’s mouth without warning. Malik froze in wide-eyed shock, swallowing on reflex. The taste didn’t bother him, but it was _hot_. He wasn’t sure what he’d expected, but not the rush of thick heat that coated his throat. The second he pulled back, Bakura dropped down to his ass.

“That…didn’t last as long as I wanted it to,” Bakura muttered, eyes still lost in a lust-clouded daze. 

“Maybe we could…fool around again sometime…” Malik dropped his gaze, getting distracted by the way Bakura’s legs looked with his pants around his ankles. 

“You wouldn’t mind?” 

Malik gave in to his urge to lean over and kiss Bakura’s exposed inner thigh. He pressed his lips against the porcelain skin and, kiss by kiss, crept down until he reached Bakura’s Pac Man boxers.

“You fucking nerd.” Malik chuckled when he noticed the print on the boxers. He sat back on his haunches. “No, I wouldn’t mind.” 

“Here.” Bakura pulled off his shirt and used it like a blanket on the ground. He brushed dirt and leaves off of his bare ass before pulling his pants back around his waist. “Sit down, standing gets hard towards the end.” 

“Not the only thing that gets harder right before the end.” Malik unbuckled his belt. “Dammit, Bakura, now you have me making lame jokes.” 

“That was beautiful.” Bakura grinned, face still flushed from orgasm and hair a mess from tangling against the maple trunk. 

The sight of Bakura made Malik eager to start. He undid his khakis and sat down with straight legs, leaning against the tree for support. 

“It’s hot,” Malik warned. 

“Damn straight you are, and hung.” Bakura licked his lips as he eyed Malik’s cock. 

“I meant when you swallow. It’s really warm,” Malik said, but he found himself smiling at Bakura’s compliment and the rapt attention Bakura paid to his body. 

“Oh… sorry,” Bakura muttered.

“No big deal. Just thought I’d warn you.” Malik’s smile widened. Bakura had never said _sorry_ before. That meant he really was out of it. 

There was an awkward pause in their natural flow. Neither knew what to do or say next. Bakura broke the unease by crawling closer and stradling Malik’s legs. Resting his hands on Malik’s chest, he leaned in and kissed him again. Malik felt himself blush, self-conscious because he’d swallowed moments before, but Bakura didn’t seem to mind as he slipped his tongue into Malik’s mouth. Malik tilted his head. Before he knew it they were cupping each other’s faces and fighting over who would suck on whose lips. It made their kisses sloppy, but Malik didn’t care. His cock was hard and twitching, and after seeing the mess Bakura had become after his blow job, Malik was impatient to experience one for himself. He twisted his fingers into Bakura’s hair and pulled him down so that he was kissing Malik’s neck. Bakura got the hint and started trailing down to Malik’s bare thighs, kissing them and avoiding where he knew Malik wanted him to be. 

“Bakura,” Malik hissed. 

Bakura chuckled and dragged his tongue up Malik’s shaft. Malik’s eyes shut on their own as he leaned his head back. Bakura fluttered his tongue along the slit in Malik’s cockhead and Malik dropped his mouth open in a silent scream. Being quiet was harder than he thought it would be. Each flick or dab of Bakura’s tongue made Malik want to curse and moan. Without warning, Bakura dropped all the way down to the base of Malik’s cock. Malik felt himself stuffing the back of Bakura’s throat as Bakura took in his length. 

“What the fuck.” Malik turned his head to the side, his nerves roaring in pleasure as Bakura slid up. “Oh fuck, oh fuck—”

“Shhhh—”

“Don’t tell me to shhh, suck,” Malik snapped, _knowing_ Bakura was right, and _knowing_ the trouble they’d get into was too much of a hassle to deal with, but _oh fuck it was too good to think_. 

Bakura laughed a moment, but dropped his mouth down again, and Malik caught fire. He managed to slit his eyes open so he could look down at Bakura. The thief hunched over Malik’s cock beneath the shade of a dozen maples and pines was an exhilarating sight. Malik wanted to believe that he wouldn’t lose his mind like a love-sick teenager, but despite all his delusions of grandeur and former attempts at godhood, he was still a virgin and it only took two or three minutes of sucking before he came as suddenly as Bakura had.

Malik drowned in a pool of euphoria as his body shook in orgasm. Once he came down from the rush and managed to flutter his eyes back open, he noticed Bakura staring at him.

“You okay?” Malik asked. He wanted a nap. He wanted to pull Bakura against his chest and fall asleep. Somewhere in the back of his mind he thought about his back, but he felt so pleasant at that moment that he couldn’t worry about it.

“Yeah…I—of course I am.”

“You looked thoughtful.”

“You look like a fucking sex god.”

He said it like an insult, not a compliment, although it was meant to be a compliment. Malik fisted Bakura’s hair and tugged him closer until they were in kissing distance. Damn, damn, damn, he already wanted to try different things. He wanted to try everything he’d ever seen in a porn; on a bed, against the wall, in the shower, on top of a bear skin rug. Malik shuddered at the last thought, dreaming of how soft the fur would be against his back.

“Want to spend the night?” Bakura asked. The sunlight caught his eyes and they gleamed as his pupils shrank to little dots. 

The question sent ripples from Malik’s belly to his groin. They often stayed up too late at one apartment or the other and stayed the night at each other’s places. Bakura always took the couch and Malik always stole the bed, but Malik already knew that if he went to Bakura’s that night, they’d share a bed.

“I’ll drop you off first.” Malik wiggled back into his pants, brushing off the dirt and leaves clinging to his knees. “Then I’ll go home and pack a bag. Be back around dinner time?”

“You make it sound like a date when you add dinner like that.” Bakura grabbed his shirt, getting leaves into his hair as he slipped the dirty clothing over his head. 

“It’s nothing we haven’t done a million times before.” Malik walked out of the grove before Bakura could argue. He was in too good of a mood to bother with their usual chatter. 

Malik had his helmet strapped on by the time Bakura reached the bike. He handed the red helmet that he had custom fitted for Bakura years ago. The paint was scuffed from Bakura tossing it about carelessly when not in use, but it was 100% functional. As Malik zig-zagged through traffic he couldn’t help but think about the years and all the memories they had piled up together. Getting drunk and watching bad movies, having their own separate save file in video games so Malik never missed a cutscene, sneaking to the roof of their apartments to star gaze and complain about current duelist drama, and now hiding in a grove of trees in a city park for blow jobs. Malik’s stomach hitched in the same way it had when Bakura had asked Malik to spend the night. He gripped the handlebars a little tighter and focused on the road. 

He dropped Bakura off at the curb of his apartment and then sped off after a quick wave. Malik felt like a comet burning through the atmosphere as he sped to the worse end of Domino. It was out of the way, but it was the only place in town with an adult novelty store. Malik wrinkled his nose at the gaudy, neon lights flickering onto the sidewalk. Places like this had never concerned Malik before, when he had the Rod, when Rishid stood beside him day and night, when he had a company of Ghouls at his disposal, but now he wished he had Bakura nearby, or at least Bakura’s pocket knife. 

The store was cheap and unimpressive. Malik expected some sort of sex dungeon full of treasures and wonders, but it looked like any other cheap retail outlet—only instead of toasters and shampoo bottles lining the wall, it was bright-colored dongs and cheap pleather lingerie. Malik snatched a basket from a stack and started grabbing anything that caught his eye. He couldn’t resist the lavender fuzzy handcuffs. They were too deliciously cliché not to drop into his basket. He saw an entire section of wall devoted to glass dongs and butt plugs, so he chose three different-shaped plugs. He finished his shopping spree with a few small, random accessories, their biggest bottle of lube, and an anal stretcher. The most obscene thing in the store, however, was how much money Malik spent. He forfeited his credit card and then rushed out of the store to put his loot into the back compartment of his bike. Ready for his “slumber party,” Malik drove home. Packing a bag only took five minutes—showering and getting ready took over an hour.

“Fuck,” Malik swore under his breath as he looked at his reflection. 

He knew exactly how sexy he looked, and Bakura was going to grumble about dates again. Too bad—Malik wasn’t going to tone himself down to ease Bakura’s mind. Giving his ass a final inspection in the scarlet leather pants, Malik sauntered back to his bike and sped, even by his standards, to Bakura’s apartment. All of his preparation was worth the lost, dazed look on Bakura’s face when he opened the door. 

“What fiend in the Shadow Realm did you sell your soul to to even fit into pants that tight?” Bakura openly stared as Malik let himself into the apartment and dropped the bags. 

“You’re the only fiend I associate with these days.” Malik eyed Bakura up and down as well. “Those jeans are looking just as snug, and I noticed you’re wearing the black button up shirt I bought you last month.”

“It was at the top of the hamper.” Bakura shrugged. 

“You’re wearing kohl.” Marik smirked. 

“I’m Egyptian too. Or have you forgotten because of how pale this body is?”

“You’ve never worn it before,” Malik said. 

“Haven’t seen you in full gold in months.” 

“You tweezed your eyebrows.” 

“You smell like lotus flowers and cardamom,” Bakura said. 

“I can tell you washed your hair.” 

“And shaved my balls.” A slow, wicked smile spread across Bakura’s face. 

“Me too.” Malik grinned, but stared at his shoes. “And I bought sex toys.”

“You did?” Bakura rummaged through the bags. He lifted up the handcuffs with a single finger and raised an eyebrow.

“I bought those ironically.”

“Oh? Then let's ironically use them.” 

“If you’d like.” Malik lidded his gaze at Bakura. 

“I ordered dinner.” That soft, frosted pink spread across his cheeks again. Malik thought it was fitting since Bakura was dessert. 

“Good. I’m famished.” Malik all but purred the words, swiveling his hips as he walked to the couch. 

Paper cartons dotted across the coffee table. Malik picked one up and sniffed inside. “Is there meat in this one?”

“Shrimp,” Bakura answered as he walked to the other end of the couch and sat down. 

“Good enough.” Malik shrugged and grabbed a pair of chopsticks. 

“Malik?”

“Yeah?”

“Is this a date?” 

“Do you _want_ it to be, Bakura?” Malik asked. It was the second time Bakura brought up the topic, so he figured they should talk about it.

“No.” Bakura stabbed at his food.

“Then we’re hanging out like always.”

“Not like always.”

“Like always,” Malik insisted. “We’ve simply added a few benefits.”

“Fuck buddies?” Bakura looked up as he asked the question. 

“Sure.” Malik shrugged. 

“Good.” Bakura’s gaze sank back down to his food. 

He didn’t eat much, and Malik figured he was probably too hard up to have an appetite. Malik on the other hand ate everything Bakura bought him and even finished off the chicken egg rolls Bakura didn’t touch. 

“You turn into a werewolf before coming over?” Bakura laughed. 

“Feel like it.” Malik joined Bakura in laughing at himself. Malik sat closer, pressing their arms together. It was comfortable, familiar, they’d done it countless times, but his fingers trembled for some reason. “Anyway, should we play a game, or duel, or…”

“I need to brush my teeth.” Bakura rushed away to the bathroom. 

Malik followed him. A spare toothbrush already sat in the holder from the countless other nights he'd spent at Bakura’s. Marik used his shoulder to shove Bakura out of the way while he brushed his teeth. Bakura pushed back, and they continued to shoulder each other out of the way of the small mirror until they were laughing and dribbling toothpaste from their mouths into the sink. It was a sort of ritual for them every time they brushed their teeth together. 

Malik dabbed his mouth with a towel after rinsing, but before he could suggest they go to the bedroom, Bakura shoved him against the wall and kissed him. He’d been careful, pushing with his right hand, but padding Malik’s back with his left so he didn’t irritate Malik’s scars. Their tongues swirled together, and Malik worked on the buttons of Bakura’s shirt. Bakura pulled back. 

“Fight your way out of those leather pants and I’ll go fetch all the goody bags.” 

Malik guided Bakura’s hands to his hips, smoothing them over the supple leather. “Don’t you want to help undress me? I put a lot of effort into this outfit.” 

“And it’ll look lovely crumpled next to my bed.” Bakura continued to run his hands up and down Malik’s hips. He winced and unzipped his own pants as he left the bathroom. “Tight pants were a stupid idea.”

Malik unzipped his own pants. Bakura was right. He was already too hard for designer, form-fitting leather. He went to Bakura's bed and left his clothes in an expensive crumple like Bakura had suggested. Malik sat on the mattress and watched Bakura enter the room wearing only a grin and carrying their bags full of sex toys. 

“Let’s break these things in, shall we?” Bakura dumped the contents out onto the bedspread without ceremony. 

“Anything you want to try first?” Malik picked up the lube and set that aside, knowing they’d need that right away. 

“Surprise me.” Bakura jumped on the bed, curling up his legs to avoid hitting their treasure cache. 

Malik grabbed the handcuffs and crawled on top of Bakura. He ran them through the wrought iron bars that made up Bakura’s headboard and then locked each cuff into place. The toy came with two small keys that Malik tossed on the nightstand for when he needed to free Bakura. 

“Are they tight?”

Bakura looked up at Malik with his dark, rust-colored eyes and smirked. “I’ve been in real manacles. These are cute.” 

“Even being facetious, it’s funny hearing you used the world _cute_.” 

Malik leaned down as if to kiss Bakura but pulled away at the last moment. Bakura leaned up, trying to steal the kiss Malik had denied him. His slender arms strained against the cuffs as he moved, and Malik smiled even as Bakura narrowed his eyes, mouth twisted in an angry pout. Malik brushed the pad of his thumb against Bakura’s bottom lip and grazed his fingers down Bakura’s cheek. 

“Get on with it,” Bakura growled. 

“Hmmm… wouldn’t that be a wasted opportunity? I seem to have the former King of Thieves cuffed to a bed at the moment. The dark spirit that almost resurrected Zorc and destroyed the world. It’d be a shame if I simply got on with it.” Malik dragged his fingers down Bakura’s chest, circled his pointer finger around Bakura’s pale nipple. “I might need to torment you a little first.” 

“Pfff, at least your bedroom talk is top notch, tell me again about how I almost destroyed the world.” 

“I’m sure you would have succeeded if it hadn’t been Yugi’s entire team against you alone.” Malik shifted down so that his weight rested on Bakura’s pelvis. He rocked back and forth, rubbing their cocks together, but then settled in place and walked his fingers up Bakura’s belly. “Not that I’m complaining that you lost. Eternal darkness would cramp my style.” 

“In hindsight, it’s probably best that I didn’t destroy the _entire_ world. After all, it has Nintendo.” 

“I’m glad you’ve reformed yourself for the sake of Zelda.”

“I wouldn’t say _reformed_.” Bakura hitched up his hips to grind their cocks together. They both held their breath to avoid moaning. “It’s more like I don’t mind how things turned out anymore.”

“How things turned out,” Malik echoed and pinched Bakura’s nipple. He rolled his hips down, and that time a moan did slip from Bakura’s lips, and it was a lovely sound. “You mean naked and beneath me?”

“Is that what I mean?” Bakura smiled. 

“I think you’re far too coherent.” Malik rose up, and Bakura pouted again once the pressure of Malik’s body left him. “Let’s see if I can unravel you a bit.” 

“Can’t get off unless you’re in control, can you?” 

“I’m already in control.” Malik grabbed Bakura’s forearms and gave them a gentle tug to remind Bakura that he was bound. The metal chain connecting the cuffs clinked against the iron. “Turning you into a wanton mess is solely for aesthetic purposes.” 

“Truly, I’m in the presence of an artist.” 

“You are white as a canvas.” Malik stood up beside the bed and studied what he had to work with. He grabbed the first of two ticklers he purchased, a scarlet-dyed ostrich feather fastened to a black stick. Malik wrote across Bakura’s ribs. 

“That’s annoying.” Bakura squirmed. 

“Is it? You say I’m annoying all the time, so you must be used to it by now.” 

Half of a giggle choked out of Bakura. He turned away as if not looking at Malik would keep him from giggling, but as Malik teased the feather closer to Bakura armpit, he lost the struggle and laughed openly. 

“Malik!” 

“What was the word you used earlier?” Marik trailed back down to Bakura’s ribs, smiling as he watched how Bakura shook with laughter. “I believe it was _cute_. An apt description of you right now.” 

“Damn you!” 

“Hmmm…what happens if I touch you here—” Malik lifted the feather up from Bakaura’s body and tickled the tip of Bakura’s cockhead.

Bakura’s eyes grew unfocused as he gave Malik a soft, pleased grunt. Malik ran the feather’s tip up and down Bakura’s shaft for a moment, and then traced the outline of Bakura’s balls. His chest rose and fell as his breath quickened. Malik slid the feather over to Bakura’s inner thighs and between his cock and navel. Bakura’s face twisted in a confused expression as if he didn’t know whether to laugh again or moan. Malik switched out for the other tickler, this one a small hand flail with soft tassels at the end. He smacked Bakura’s cock with the toy and he hitched. 

“Was that too much?” Malik asked. 

Bakura shook his head no, lips pressed tight as he held back. Malik smacked him again and Bakura sucked in a sharp breath. Malik dangled the tassels up Bakura’s stomach and over his nipples, then back down to his thighs again. 

“This is fun,” Malik confessed. 

“Malik!” Bakura whined. 

“Oh? Were you wanting me to touch you instead?” Malik dropped the other toy and danced his fingers over Bakura’s ribs. 

“Bastard!” Bakura laughed. 

“You’re so cute.” Malik kissed Bakura’s left nipple, and Bakura moaned. Malik dotted kisses across Bakura’s chest and finished with a long, sensual kiss to Bakura’s mouth. He grabbed the lube and the most narrow plug, lifting the plug up for Bakura to see. “I’m going to start with this small one and work my way up.” 

Bakura nodded, spreading his legs. Malik bit his bottom lip as he stared at Bakura’s asshole. He wanted to plunge in right away, but wanted Bakura screaming and begging before he finally gave in to his own desires. He drizzled lube on top of Bakura’s hole, and doused the thin plug as well. The smooth toy slid up Bakura’s ass without resistance. Bakura’s breath hitched, but it was a soft, controlled sound. As Malik pumped the toy in and out of Bakura’s asshole, he also ran the feather up and down Bakura’s swollen cock. Bakura groaned again, a little louder than before. It was good, but Malik thought he could do better, so he set the first plug aside.

The second plug was a row of connected spheres, small at the tip and larger at the base. Malik added lube to the next plug and worked the first bead-like ball into Bakura’s asshole. He pushed it in and out for a moment before easing in to the second ball. It wasn’t until the third one that he got a reaction out of Bakura, a small shift of his hips. By the fourth bead, however, Bakura was audibly panting and tugging at his cuffs. He rocked himself back and forth, pushing towards Malik each time Malik pushed the last ball all the way in. 

“Malik, I’m ready.” He moaned as he arched his back up off the mattress. “I’m ready. Do me. Do me now.” 

“There’s one more toy I want to try.” Malik left the plug fully sheathed in Bakura’s ass as he grabbed the third toy. 

The long one was more of a dong than a plug. It had a ball at the tip and a long, hooked shaft, and then one last, larger ball before reaching the handle. Malik did a sloppy job lubbing it up before pulling out the other plug slowly, like one would pull out a string of anal beads. 

Bakura moaned and came all over his belly. His face was relaxed, but then the pink washing across his cheeks flushed deeper into a embarassed mauve. 

“Fuck.” 

“Apparently I already have.” Malik glanced at the lubed up toy he didn’t even have a chance to use. “Well, I guess this one’s for me.”

“Dammit,” Bakura cursed again. 

“At least I know I was doing a good job.” Malik felt his cheeks heat up. 

Bakura sighed and sat up. He grabbed several tissues from the box on the nightstand and cleaned himself up.

“How’d you get out of the cuffs?” Malik scowled. 

“Hah, didn’t you notice?” Bakura grabbed the cuffs and lifted up the faux fur to reveal a small safety latch on each cuff. “These things are just toys.” 

“Then why are there keys with them? What’s the point?” 

Bakura shrugged, tossing the cuffs on the floor and taking the last toy out of Malik’s hand. “You know, you can still…anyway, if you want to fuck me, I wouldn’t say no.”

Malik bit his lower lip and nodded. “Get me started with that and then I’ll fuck you?” 

“Lay on your side.” Bakura gestured with his head to the mattress.

“Good idea,” Malik muttered, suddenly nervous. 

He lay on his side and hugged one of Bakura’s pillows to his chest. He tucked his top knee close to his chest to give Bakura access to his asshole. His stomach fluttered with nerves, but he realized right away that the position was a good idea. He’d hate lying on his belly, that was the position he was forced to lay in during his initiation, but lying on his back would hurt after awhile, especially with Bakura’s rougher sheets. Bakura had chosen a way for Malik to lie back and relax and be pleasured without having to worry about the scars he still hated. 

“Can I try something?” Bakura asked.

“Yes. I trust you,” Malik said without hesitation. 

“Okay, I’m setting this down for a moment.” Bakura took another tissue and lay the slick toy on the nightstand. 

He crawled to the end of the bed, lying on his side as well but perpendicular to Malik. He took Malik’s bent leg and rested Malik’s foot on his hip so that he was properly between Malik’s legs. Malik gasped when he felt Bakura’s cold fingers spreading his ass cheeks. He squeezed his eyes shut and he held his breath as he waited for Bakura to make his first move. Malik didn’t expect the splash of warmth against his asshole as Bakura licked his entrace. Malik moaned as Bakura fluttered his tongue, and then called out when Bakura switched to deep licks and deliberate circles. 

“Want me to keep going?” Bakura asked, his voice rough and low. 

“Please,” Malik begged. He didn’t realized he’d begged until Bakura laughed. He grit his teeth. “Fuck.”

“Apparently I already am.” 

Before Malik could think of a retort, Bakura slipped his tongue all the way inside Malik’s hole and made him sigh. Bakura flicked his tongue all around the circumference of Malik’s hole and Malik’s nails dug into the pillow. He rode out the pleasure until he was hitching his cock forward in a steady rhythm. 

“Bakura, more,” Malik demanded, knowing better than to beg twice. 

Bakura squirmed out from between Malik’s legs and retrieved the glass plug. Malik felt the shift of his flesh as Bakura eased the tip in, and then the shaft. It was similar to the feeling his gut got when he rode down a hill fast on his motorcycle. His stomach felt like it was floating a little out of sync with the rest of his body. Then Bakura pushed in the last, thicker ball, and the hook-shape of the plug curved the first, smaller ball upward in just the right way to tease the nerves inside Malik’s body. 

“Oh, Bakura.” Malik squeezed his body around the toy, savoring the intense jolt of delight stabbing through him. 

“M-Malik.” Bakura gasped, sounding as lost as Malik felt. 

Bakura pressed the toy in a little deeper, pressing harder into Malik’s nerves. Malik could only describe the sensation as _bright_. It _felt_ like a star _looked_ as it twinkled in the night sky. 

“Oh, Bakura!” Malik arched, squeezing tightly each time Bakura pushed the toy all the way in.

“F-fuck Malik,” Bakura groaned. He grabbed Malik’s cock and fumbled for a moment before managing a few clumsy strokes that mirrored the toy’s thrusts. 

“W-wait—oh—oh—Bakura!” Malik’s body seized up and then shivered as come fountained onto Bakura’s blanket. Malik groaned in pleasure, but then growled in frustration.

“Ha! See? It’s not so easy.” Bakura laughed as he pulled the toy out of Malik’s ass and set it next to the others with a sharp click of glass bumping glass. 

Malik clenched his hands into fists. “I’m not complaining. That was great, but this isn’t going as I planned it.” 

“We’ll just have to do it again and again until we get it right.” Bakura arched his eyebrows, a happy grin playing on his lips after he spoke. 

Malik looked at Bakura’s face, all rosey and _happy_. He’d seen Bakura happy plenty of times as their friendship deepened over the years. He’d seen Bakura screaming, and cursing, and smashing everything in sight, too. Bakura had seen him the same way; that was part of the appeal of their friendship. They never had to censor themselves around each other. 

“You know.” Malik smiled and drew hieroglyphs against his pillow. “You’re the only person I could ever imagine sleeping with. Look at me. I don’t even have my shirt on.”

Bakura blinked for a second, staring at Malik’s fully naked body. “What the fuck, you don’t have your shirt on.” He laughed a little harder. “I was so distracted by everything else that it didn’t even register.”

“I was so excited that I threw everything off without thinking about it. It only now occured to me that I wasn’t wearing it.” Malik stared at the pillow. “It just seemed like we should both be naked for what we were about to do.”

Bakura lay on his side, facing Malik. “I’ve always wanted to ogle your bare chest.”

“Hope it’s everything you dreamed of.” Malik grinned. 

Bakura reached out, gracing his palm over Malik’s skin. He scooted closer so he could place a kiss on Malik’s sternum. Malik cooed in satisfaction, enjoying the tender touches and presses of Bakura’s mouth. He wrapped his arms around Bakura and Bakura responded by mimicking the action. His fingers rested against the ankh in the center of Malik’s back, and Malik held his breath. He only tensed for a moment, then relaxed into Bakura’s touch and leaned closer.

“Don’t stop,” Malik whispered into Bakura’s hair. “No one’s touched me there since the scars were healed. It was forbidden to touch the Pharaoh’s memories.” 

“If he were alive now, I wouldn’t scheme or plan or play a fucking card game, I’d shove a knife right into the pit of his chest,” Bakura spoke in a low voice. “How dare they use a child like a accessory for his gods-damned destiny.” 

Malik trembled. It was one thing to think it himself. He’d always thought it wasn’t right, but his sister…his father…everyone acted like he was supposed to be happy about it. He was supposed to see it as an honor, but there was no honor in his pain, only ugly scars and uglier memories. 

“Thank you.” Malik squeezed Bakura in his arms. 

“For what? I fucking failed getting vengeance for either of us.” 

“For letting me feel it. For letting me be _pissed_ about it. No one else wants me to be anything but happy.” Malik pulled away. 

It was too dangerous, holding Bakura in his arms after sleeping together, letting Bakura touch his scars. It made all his feelings swell and consume him like the fires of Ra once had. If he stayed tangled up with Bakura, allowed Bakura to soothe the dry ache in his back with his light touches, he wouldn’t be able to keep things casual, and he knew Bakura didn’t want them falling in love, so he grabbed the toys and carried them to the bathroom. 

“I have to wash these.” 

He scrubbed the toys down with soap and water, and set them on a towel to dry while he took a quick shower. When he returned into the room, Bakura had the top drawer of the nightstand cleared out and repacked with their other goodies. Bakura disappeared to take his own shower and Malik tucked himself beneath the bedspread. He waited for Bakura to come to bed, but fell asleep before the water turned off. 

***

Malik woke up in the middle of the night wrapped in Bakura’s arms. His nerves lit up, a gentle pain sneaking from his chest to the tips of his fingers. He never knew how badly he wanted to wake up in Bakura’s arms until it happened, and he realized, too late, that there was a reason he never brought up being friends with benefits years ago. Maybe, gradually over time, their friendship had grown worn around the edges, faded, blurry, too misshapen to properly fit the label. Not boyfriends, not lovers until that day, but maybe they’d been something more than friends for far too long already.

He cupped Bakura’s face, staring at the way his lips parted in his sleep. He wanted to kiss Bakura, kiss him deeply like people kissed during blizzards, or after hurricanes, or on their wedding nights. He didn’t dare do it, but he ached to. 

“ _Malik_ ,” Bakura whispered in his sleep, and what he said next was in old, heavily-accented Egyptian instead of Japanese. “ _I love you_.” 

“Bakura.” The name hardly pushed through Malik’s mouth before he pressed their lips together. 

Bakura’s mouth was slack against Malik’s, but he gradually responded until he was awake and kissing with the same passion as Malik. They didn’t stop until Bakura gasped for breath. He stared at Malik, lips gleaming from their kisses and poised in a silent question he didn’t ask. 

“I…” The words faltered in Malik’s mouth. 

He never lied to Bakura. Part of their partnership was based on the fact that they never lied, even if they sometimes hedged the truth, but Malik was afraid that if he told Bakura why he'd kissed him, Bakura would pull away and shut down and build his emotional walls twice as high as before in order to avoid his own feelings. 

“Were you wanting to go at it again?” Bakura asked, sleepy and far too adorable for his reputation. 

“Yes.” Malik pulled Bakura against his chest and kissed him again. 

And he did, sweet gods he did. He wanted to touch Bakura until he sang out in pleasure. Malik rolled them so that Bakura lay on his back and Malik lay on top. He wasn’t in the mood to tease or pretend like it’d last long. It wouldn’t. The thrill of touching Bakura, of kissing him, and tasting him, of being sweet and close in a way Malik had always yearned to be although never he'd admitted it—it was too much for Malik to endure. He broke away only long enough to grab the lube and pour it into his palm. 

He coated both their cocks and held them together as he slid them back and forth. Bakura grunted, gripping Malik’s shoulders as his cock grew hard and fat in Malik’s hold. Malik kissed him again, rocking his hips and grinding them together. 

“Bakura!” Malik screamed. There was no reason to censor himself. He wanted Bakura to know exactly how wild the former thief drove him. “Bakura! Bakura! Bakura! I’m coming.” 

“Oh fuck! Malik! Yes!” 

Malik dropped like bricks onto Bakura’s body. He held him, held him, held him, as he waited for his emotions to settle down enough to speak, but they wouldn’t calm down. The afterglow of orgasm only made them brighter as he clutched Bakura in his arms. 

“This was a mistake.” Bakura dug his fingernails into the tops of Malik’s shoulders, gritting his teeth and hiding his face against Malik’s sweat-slick skin. 

“Are you okay? Are you sore?” Malik asked, trying to look at Bakura’s face in order to read his expression, but Bakura kept himself hidden. “Maybe three times in one day was a little too much. I’m sorry—”

“I don’t want to be in love,” Bakura hissed through his teeth. “I hate it. I hate it. This is _stupid_.” 

“It’s fine, Bakura. It’s only been a few times. We can go slower, or stop.” The last thing he wanted to do was stop, but Bakura’s comfort was more important than even the greatest sex. “But I promise I won’t make you hold my hand or whisper sweet nothings to me or anything stupid like that if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“But I _want to_.”

“What?” Malik forced Bakura to look him him then, cupping his face against so Bakura couldn’t look away. He tried, but Malik held him in place, so Bakura shut his eyes. 

“For a long time now.” Bakura said the words like they’d break his jaw. 

“I’d like it… if you did,” Malik confessed. 

“You’ll die.”

“No.” Malik shook his head. “I won’t die from you loving me anymore than I’ll freak out and kill you if I get mad. Do you understand, Bakura?” 

“It’s not the same.”

“It’s exactly the same. You think I’m not freaking out inside?” 

Bakura opened his eyes.

“Heh, remember the first time we ever got drunk together?” Malik asked. 

“I remember leaning over your balcony and throwing up.”

“It was hilarious.” Marik dropped his hands from Bakura’s face, but Bakura kept his gaze on Malik. “I remember holding your hair back because it was too beautiful to get barf in it. When you finished, you wiped your mouth and looked at me and…” Malik shook his head, thinking about the way the light had played off the white of Bakura’s face and hair. “I wanted to kiss you then, but I blamed the booze for the urge.” 

“Tasty.” 

“Shut up, I’m trying to be real for a moment.” 

“It was our first duel.” 

“What was?”

“When I—when I wanted…you.” 

“The doubles tournament? We lost that one. To Ishizu and Mai of all people. I’m still groaning over that loss.”

“Yeah.” A tired smile distorted Bakura’s face. “But we raced all over Domino on your bike kicking everyone’s ass that we fought and we were the first team to get into the finals. Then we shared that hotel room and fought over the bed.”

“Yeah.” Malik chuckled. “We ended up both sleeping in it anyway, but you put pillows between us and told me to stay on my own damn side.”

“I was afraid I’d wake up in your arms.” 

“Probably would have.”

“I was afraid if I did, I’d never be able to sleep another night without you.”

“When you say it like that, I want to move in.” 

“I don’t want to feel like this. The last two and a half years have been _agony_... “ Bakura closed his eyes and sighed. “Such gorgeous, perfect agony.” 

“Would you like some space for a few days?” Malik asked. 

Bakura rolled on his back and nodded. He hugged his pillow to his chest, scrunching up his face as he shut his eyes. Malik was convinced he was battling tears although he didn’t shed them. It was vulnerable and human and wholly unlike Bakura. Seeing Bakura like that made Malik want to get the handcuffs, chain the two of them together, and swallow the keys, vowing that he was never leaving Bakura’s side even after they were ghosts in the Duat avoiding their Weighing. Friend, lover, or something in between, Malik never wanted to leave Bakura’s side. That he’d always known since the first time they found each other after Bakura’s return. 

Malik leaned over and kissed Bakura’s forehead before slipping out of bed. “I’m going to wash up first. Those pants cost a small fortune, so I don’t want to stain them.”

“Yeah,” Bakura muttered. He rolled on his side, away from Malik, still clutching at the pillow like driftwood in the ocean.

Malik sighed, understanding Bakura’s reluctance too well. He used a towel and the sink to scrub himself down and dried himself with a fresh towel before undertaking the epic quest of getting back into the skin-tight leather pants. Finished, Malik stared at the way Bakura’s spine poked out from the rest of his back as he lay curled in ball. 

“Bakura,” Malik whispered.

Bakura glanced over his shoulder, listening. Malik blew him a kiss from the doorway.

“I love you, too.” 

With that, Malik turned and walked out of Bakura’s apartment. He mounted his motorcycle and took off, but he didn’t go home. Malik rode around town until dawn when he filled his gas tank and stopped by the park, sitting on his and Bakura’s favorite table. The one with _Thieves’ Den_ carved into the top. He sat with his ass on the table and his feet on the bench and watched the sun rise while hugging his knees. Tears filled his eyes from the brightness, but Malik refused to blink and cause them to spill down his cheeks. 

He’d just wanted to try it, intimacy, and Bakura had been the only person he felt close enough to to try it with. Now he was afraid things would get awkward and he’d lose his best friend. A beep chimed from his jacket pocket. Malik fished it out, cupping his left hand over the screen so he could read the text in the blinding sunlight. It was a message from Bakura. 

_Come back._

Malik shut his eyes then. A few tears trickled down his cheeks, and then with a sob Malik pressed his forehead against his bent knees and allowed himself to cry in the morning sunlight. After the fear flushed out of his body, and relief rushed in its place, Malik wiped at his face and messaged Bakura back. 

_Let me run an errand first. I’ll come back as soon as I can._ Malik stared at his message for a moment and decided to add, _I’ll bring dinner this time._

_Edible lube?_ Bakura texted back. 

_I was thinking bento, but don’t worry. There’ll be plenty of dessert afterwards_. 

Malik exhaled, pressing the cell phone to his heart for a moment before standing and going back to his bike. He raced home, and dug out an old chest he kept hidden in the back of his bedroom closet. He searched through the ancient artifacts from home until he found a specific spell book, one full of fertility spells. Malik flipped through the pages, glancing at several spells until he found one for male virility. He grinned as he set the book on his bed and ran around collecting ingredients. On his bed, he used powdered myrrh to write down a prayer to Min in hieratic. Afterward Malik lit two cones of incense and ground together a tincture of almond oil, honey, coriander, cinnamon, and dried lotus petals. 

Malik stripped off his clothes again, and allowed the mixture to sit in the sunlight as he took another thorough shower. Malik stood naked in front of the bed with the mixture in his hands. He eased down to his knees and smeared half of the salve around his cock and balls, stroking himself until he was hard. Malik allowed his thoughts to wander to Bakura as he glided his hand up and down his shaft. A huff of breath escaped him as he imagined Bakura’s lidded stare and flushed face. A slight moan followed as he pretended that Bakura was calling his name. Malik arched his shoulders back, stroking more quickly. He switched to both hands, cupping them together and fucking between them. 

Malik panted as he pleasured himself, bucking hard into his closed fists. He spread his knees a little further apart and slipped his left hand between his legs. Malik leaned forward, pressing his forehead against the mattress for balance as he circled a finger around his entrance. Malik’s face burned and his thighs trembled. He pushed his finger all the way in, closing his eyes as he eased it in and out. He’d never experimented with fingering himself before. Masturbation had always been a race to the finish—how fast could he reach climax before his sister called, or Rishid texted him, or Bakura shouted through the bathroom door for Malik not to hog all the hot water, but now he wanted to take his time, truly explore himself. He felt his cock throb in his hand and he slowed his strokes down, easing himself away from the edge on his own before he activated the spell. Another moan filled the room. Malik slit his eyes open so he could admire the way his cock gleamed from the light shining off of the almond oil. Once calm, Malik picked up the pace. 

“ _Fuck_ ,” he whispered to himself. “Bakura, I wish you were here.”

The thought brought him teetering to the edge again and he had to slow down. Malik shivered, his mouth opened to say the word that would lock the spell into place, but was able to hold back on his own. Malik’s lips peeled back in a satisfied grin as he sped up his strokes once again. He was confident that he could hold back on his own now, but he didn’t want to use magic on Bakura that he wasn’t willing to use on himself as well, so Malik brought himself to the brink once again, threw back his head, and right before his orgasm burst from him, he grunted a single word in his old, tombkeeper dialect.

“ _Wait_.” 

The moment the word departed from his lips he felt a rush swooping from his belly to groin. It was similar to a small orgasm, but he didn’t come and his cock stayed hard and throbbing in his hand. 

“Hmph, yes,” Malik moaned, both because of the pleasure and because the spell had worked perfectly. 

He drove himself to the brink yet a fourth time, repeating the word and biting his lower lip as his entire body trembled, but he didn’t come. Malik’s limbs ached from the strain of fucking himself. He adjusted his left hand and felt a lump of inside him and when his finger struck it, a jolt of ecstasy struck his core like a lightning strike. Malik sucked in a sharp breath, teasing the area a few more times, and then he whispered another word in his birth-tongue. 

“ _Now_.” 

Malik came and came hard. His mouth dropped open, and Malik screamed. Malik’s mind couldn’t keep up with the fire shooting through him. He gasped for breath, fluttering his eyes opened and noticing he’d managed to spray come on the side of the bed, the carpet, and his thighs. It had been worth it, though. More than worth it. Malik caught his breath and pushed himself up onto his shaky legs in order to clean up and get ready to meet Bakura, eager to see the look Bakura was going to have on his face by the time Malik was done with him. Before he left, he transferred the oil mixture into a small clay jar with a screw-on lid and tucked it into his jacket pocket. 

He forgot to buy dinner and had to turn back and go to the corner store. Malik didn’t have the patience to knock and wait on Bakura. He used his key to let himself in and marched into Bakura’s living room like it was home. 

“Malik.” Bakura had been in his room, but when he heard Malik turning the key in the lock, he rushed down the hallway and toward Malik. 

“Look, Bakura.” Malik shoved his hands in his jacket pockets, thumbing the jar, but losing his nerve as he remembered the way Bakura’s face had crumpled as he held the pillow to his chest earlier in the day. “If you want to go back to being friends, I understa-”

Bakura grabbed the back of Malik’s head and smashed their mouths together. Malik pulled his hands out of his pockets and let their plastic shopping bag slide off of his wrist and to the floor so he could thread his fingers through Bakura’s hair as he returned the kiss. They stumbled backward, falling onto the sofa with Malik on top of Bakura. Bakura pulled Malik’s face down so he could kiss him again, but this time the pressure of their lips was as light as finely spun gossamer threads and their pace was languid. 

“Were you just saying it?” Bakura muttered when they broke to breathe. 

“That we can be friends?” Malik studied Bakura’s blushing face, confused and dazed from kissing. 

“What you said before you left.” 

“That I love you?” Malik asked. 

“Tch.” Bakura grit his teeth when he heard the question and tried to turn away as if to deny the words, but Malik cupped Bakura’s cheeks and brushed their noses together. 

“I do. I love you. You’re my best friend, and I love you.”

“Okay, okay, don’t make such a big deal about it. You just had to say yes or no.” Bakura’s cheeks turned almost mauve they were so dark, and Malik kissed each of them.

“Yes.” Malik grinned. “But why should I say anything? You’ve always been the type to lie with your words and tell the truth in deeds, so I’ll show you.” Malik dropped to his knees on the floor and unbuckled Bakura’s pants. 

“We can eat first.” Bakura chuckled, as nervous as if it were their first time all over again. 

“I prepared something special. I’d like to set it up now so it doesn’t lose any potency.” Malik took the jar out of his pocket and then slipped the coat off of his shoulders.

“What’s that?” Bakura scowled at the jar. 

“A little spell I whipped up. I’ve already cast it on myself, but it was made for both of us.”

“What does it do?” Bakura narrowed his eyes as he stared down Malik. 

“It will be far more fun if I don’t tell you.” Malik pinched the zipper of Bakura’s pants, glancing up at him for permission. 

Bakura only hesitated for half a breath before nodding and allowing Malik to undress him. Malik removed his shirt as well so Bakura wasn’t the only one undressed. Malik buried his face between Bakura’s legs, kissing and lapping at both his balls and his cock. Once Bakura was rigid, Malik scooped the oil out of the jar with his fingers and anointed Bakura’s marble-white shaft. He worked the mixture all over Bakura’s cock, saving enough to douse the fingers of his left hand so he could smooth them across Bakura’s asshole before wiggling them inside. 

“Holy fuck!” Bakura wailed the moment Malik found the same area of nerves that he’d discovered an hour ago while pleasuring himself. 

“Tell me when you’re getting close.” Malik kissed Bakura’s cockhead and stroked him. 

“Malik! Malik! Malik I’m-”

“Wait,” Malik whispered in ancient Egyptian, kissing Bakura’s cockhead once again after saying it.

Bakura groaned low and deep in his throat. His eyes rolled into the back of his head, and his nipples rose to points on his chest. Bakura fell back against the couch and Malik continued to stroke his twitching erection. 

“Wh-whu’d y’do?” Bakura mumbled. 

“I guarantee that this is going to last as long as I want it to.” Malik purred against Bakura’s skin as he kissed his milk-white thighs. 

“Oh fuck, Malik.” 

“Once more, Bakura. This time I’ll guess when it’s time.” Malik wrapped his lips around Bakura’s shaft and sucked. The mixture was mostly almond oil, but there was just enough honey and cinnamon to make it taste sweet, and he couldn’t taste the lotus blossom at all because he’d only used a pinch. 

“Oh gods, oh gods, Malik. Oh gods. Oh-oh-oh! Fuck! Yes! Yes! Yes!” 

Bakura screamed up at the ceiling, writhing beneath Malik. Malik dragged his right fingers up and down Bakura’s calf and Bakura trembled beneath Malik’s touch. Bakura’s cock swelled to its fullest, and Bakura hitched up into Malik’s mouth. His screams turned into a single vowel of delirium and Malik pulled back and uttered his magical word.

“No!” Bakura barked. “No, don’t you fucking dare! Finish me off! You bastar-oooooh!” Bakura tossed his head back and moaned again when Malik slid his fingers out of Bakura’s asshole. “Malik, Malik, don’t you _dare_ leave me like this.”

“We have to have dinner first.” Malik stood up and walked to the bathroom to wash his hands.

“I’m not hungry!”

“You’d better eat!” Malik called back from the bathroom. “Because we’re not fooling around until I say it’s time.”

“You can’t leave me like this!” 

Malik walked back to the sofa. He straddled Bakura’s lap, grabbed his hand, and shoved his palm against the tent forming in Malik’s faded, black jeans. “See what sucking you off did to me? You’re not the only one having to wait, but we’re going to wait...until...I...say...it’s...time.” 

“Why?” 

“So when I finally say the _other word_ and we come…” Malik kissed up Bakura’s neck and licked around the shell of Bakura’s ear before whispering against Bakura’s hair. “It’ll be beyond your wildest dreams.”

Bakura shuddered and Malik smirked, placing a quick kiss on Bakura’s lips before fetching their bento. Bakura didn’t capitulate to Malik’s plan, not exactly, but he stopped complaining and wiggled back into his boxers as Malik handed them each a container of food and started eating. When finished, Bakura slammed his tray on the coffee table. 

“Well, that was delicious. Want to head to the bedroom?”

“Not really.” Malik grinned as he grabbed the TV remote. “I was thinking about watching a movie.” 

“Why?” Bakura snapped. 

“Dinner and a movie.” Malik winked. “It makes this a date.” 

“I never said I wanted to date you.” Bakura propped his elbow up on the arm of the sofa and rested his cheek against his fist. 

“Nope. You sure didn’t. That’s why we’re having this conversation through actions instead of words, remember?” 

“If action is what you want, we can _walk_ to the bedroom, _lie down_ on the bed, and _scream, moan, sweat, buck, bite—_ ”

Malik pounced on Bakura, pinning him into the cushions. He slipped his hand down the front of Bakura’s boxers and gripped his cock. Less than half a dozen strokes and Bakura went from half-hard to granite. The oil had mostly soaked into his skin, but Bakura’s cock was still smooth enough that Malik could glide his fist up and down with ease. 

“Oh yes, Maik.” Bakura cooed and he gripped Malik’s shoulders. “Please, please, please—”

“You can beg all you want, but it’s not going to help you.” Malik smirked. 

“What… do… you…mean by tha-aaahh!”

“ _Wait_ ,” Marik purred as he slowed down his strokes. 

“Damn you,” Bakura curse through clenched teeth. “I can’t take much more of this.” 

“Every time you’re difficult, I’m going to bring you to the edge and then take it away again.” Malik found the remote and flipped through the channels until he found something that looked worth watching. “You can choose how difficult this is going to be.”

“For the life of me, I can’t figure out why I put up with you.” Bakura tossed his hands into the air before giving up and dropping down so that his head rested into Malik’s lap. 

Malik smiled and he combed Bakura’s hair with his fingers. Bakura kept fidgeting, and each time the back of his head brushed against Malik’s own erection it made him that much more eager to drag Bakura to bed, but Malik waited until the end of the film out of principle. However, the second the credits flashed on the screen, Malik hooked his fingers into Bakura hair, pulled him up, and dragged him to the bedroom, unable to endure the anticipation for a moment longer. 

“Finally!” Bakura smirked as Malik led him by the hair. 

“Don’t think this is going to be quick. I’m going to love you until you can’t take it anymore.” 

“I’m going out of my mind already!” Bakura stripped off his boxers and flung them over his head. They hung over the bed frame, but Bakura ignored them as he pulled Malik down to the mattress. 

Malik kicked off his own pants and then settled on top of Bakura and kissed him. Their skin was warm and smooth as they fit their bodies together. Bakura spread his legs, and Malik couldn’t help slipping between them and teasing Bakura with playful, non-penetrative thrusts as they kissed. Malik dropped down to Bakura’s neck in order to get his cock at a better angle as he teased Bakura. He nibbled against Bakura’s throat, licking and sucking and realishing every sound he coaxed from Bakura’s stubborn mouth.

“The moment you left, I regretted it,” Bakura confessed as he tilted his head back. “I’m afraid to lose you, but…” Bakura gasped as Malik bit him in a good spot. “What does it matter if I lose you either way?” 

“Bakura.” Malik pulled himself up and kissed Bakura’s mouth before staring down at him. 

“What?”

“Let’s spite the gods and live forever.”

“With what magic?” Bakura huffed a single laugh at the idea. 

“Us.” Malik bit Bakura’s bottom lip, then soothed it with an ameliorating lick. He laced their fingers together. “We’re all the magic we need.” 

“Sure. Why not.” Bakura rolled his eyes, but he was smiling. “We’ll simply live forever then. I have a bit of a head start on you so far.”

“Three thousand years won’t matter much after 100,000.” 

“What happens when the sun explodes?”

“We’ll create our own damn universe and be the gods we always wanted to be.” 

“Nice story.” Bakura's smile grew a little, but then his eyes lidded and the want on his face was so blatant and raw that Malik forgot about immortality and godhood and decided to relish the present moment and all the delights that his mortal body was capable of indulging in. 

He returned to his slow, teasing mock-thrusts, kissing Bakura’s collarbone as he moved. Bakura hooked one of his legs around Malik’s waist, spreading himself wider and encouraging Malik to ease into his entrance. 

“Wait. Let me get the lube, Bakura.”

“Hurry, damn you.” 

“Ha! You still going on about that? You already know there’s going to be nothing hurried about this night.”

Malik spoke a big game, but his cock was throbbing, and his balls were screaming, and he wanted to finally know what it’d feel like to be inside Bakura. He grabbed the lube and the stretcher he'd bought the day before and brought them to the bed. 

“That’s…much bigger than you at the base.” Bakura eyed the stretcher with a suspicious look. It was black and cone shaped. The tip was harmless enough, but it flared out to a questionable diameter by the end. 

“Relax, I’m not going to cram the entire thing in, just enough to get you warmed up.” 

Bakura tucked his knees into his chest, presenting himself to Malik. The sight caused Malik to fumble with the bottle of lube as he tried to pop it open with one hand while holding the cone in the other. He ended up dropping both onto the mattress. 

“Quit fooling around, Malik.”

“It’s your fault for sticking your ass right in my face like that—I got distracted!”

“Where else am I supposed to put my ass if you’re about to fuck it?” 

Marik grabbed the lube and dumped a cold shot directly onto Bakura’s asshole. Bakura squealed from the cold and Malik laughed as he smeared it all the way around. He took the excess and covered the first three levels of the cone, and then decided to dump more on just in case. Malik rested the tip against Bakura’s ass, smiling when he heard Bakura’s breath hitch. 

“I’m only going to ease the first section in, okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, I swear if you don’t— _ah!_ ” 

“There we go,” Malik sang as he slipped the tip of the toy in and out a few times. It went into Bakura’s body too easily. “Ready for the next bit?”

Bakura nodded his head and Malik pushed a little harder, guiding the second section up Bakura’s ass. Bakura’s breath caught. Malik could tell that he felt that width more than the first section. He examined Bakura’s face. He stared, wide-eyed, at the ceiling with his mouth slack. He looked like he was analysing the sensation as Malik slowly fucked him with the toy. 

“Is it good?” Malik asked. 

“I… yes,” Bakura admitted, shutting his eyes and relaxing his shoulders. 

“I’m going to go one section further. Is that okay?” 

Bakura nodded his head. The third section was about as wide as Malik. He had to apply more force to get it all the way up to the line, but Bakura made a wonderful, throaty grunt that was definitely pleasure and not pain. Malik quickened his movements, experimenting the angles of his thrusts and watching how Bakura reacted. When he had some sort of idea of what Bakura liked best, Malik flung the toy aside.

“I can’t wait any more.” 

“About fucking time!”

Malik didn’t argue. He used the lube on his hands to cover his cock and plunged into Bakura’s asshole. Malik gasped, muttering _wait_ to himself just to make sure he didn’t tip over at the initial shock of tight, all-consuming heat nestled so intimately around his cock from every direction. 

“Oh holy fucking Ptah!”

“Holy fucking Osiris!” Bakura shouted with a wicked grin. 

The both laughed. Egyptians used to believe that the Pharaoh became Osiris after death. It seemed a fitting way to mock Atem, calling out to him as they fucked their brains out. Malik adjusted so he could thrust a little harder. 

“Yes, say it again, Bakura.” 

“ _Ah_! O-Osiris! Yes! Osiris! Yes! Malik, I’m going to—”

“ _Wait_.” Malik breathed out the word in a quick huff as he rocked in and out of Bakura’s body. He repeated it for himself as his lower body quivered. “ _Wait_.” 

They both moaned as a great, burgeoning sweep of euphoria filled them, but after too brief a moment, the sensation settled down and the insistent need to _move_ continued to drive Malik forward and backward. He kissed Bakura’s chest as Bakura kissed Malik’s biceps. Their eyes caught, and both of them stared at the other as they made the wrought iron bars at the front of Bakura’s bed slam into the wall with a rhythmic clang. 

“I’ve waited—so long—to be inside you.”

“Mmmm, mmmm—Malik. Oh gods! Give me more!”

Malik rested his forehead on Bakura’s chest. Sweat pooled between them as Malik hitched his hips. They called out to each other. Bakura wrapped both legs around Malik and dug his fingers into Malik’s shoulders. He thrusted into Bakura until they both gasped for breath and sweat matted their hair at their foreheads. Each thrust was a resounding _yes_ that his body screamed. _Yes, yes, yes, yes_. Malik felt like he was going to explode from the tension, and Bakura’s muscles were clenching and sucking him in deeper, deeper, deeper— 

“ _Wait, wait, wait, fuck, wait!”_ Malik chanted the word, keeping them both from the release that he _needed_ as badly as Bakura did. 

“Malik, next time, please.” 

The tone of Bakura’s voice was different this time. He wasn’t screaming please as an empty word to bait Malik into giving him what he wanted, like the last time he'd said it. He _meant_ _it_ now, and Malik felt the same. They couldn’t go on much longer. He gasped for air and his heart hit his chest so hard he felt like it’d punch through his ribcage. He wanted to come. He wanted to come so badly that his kisses against Bakura’s shoulder turned into haphazard bites that made Bakura moan and dig his nails into Malik’s skin. 

“Okay—I’m still close—tell me—when—you’re—ready—Bakura!” 

“Touch me! Malik! I need you to touch me!”

Malik braced his weight with his left forearm against the mattress and used his right hand to knead Bakura’s cock. Bakura’s grunts and moans transformed to an erotic wail that sent bright, hot bliss through Malik’s entire core. Malik opened his mouth, preparing to pull himself back so he didn’t rush ahead of Bakura, but then Bakura shouted. 

“Now, Malik! Now! Now! Now! Now! Gods, now!”

“ _Now_ ,” Malik echoed back to Bakura in his ancient dialect. 

And with the word came their long awaited release. It began the same as before, a swelling, maddening rush of satisfaction and enjoyment, but instead of receding back into the pits of their stomach, the pleasure burst all through their bodies, consuming both of them whole. They screamed, screamed, screamed themselves hoarse as waves of pleasure wracked through them. Malik dropped, his body unable to stay upright, and he lay stacked on top of Bakura with his cheek pressed against Bakura’s chest. 

“My gods, that was good,” Malik muttered against Bakura’s chest as he eased out of Bakura’s body. He was still trying to catch his breath and collect his thoughts, but he was too sleepy and relaxed to think about much of anything except holding Bakura—preferably, for the rest of his life as well as his afterlife. 

“Wait…” Bakura said in Japanese, his voice hoarse from nearly an hour of screaming. “Does this mean that if I say _now—_ ” They both moaned as Bakura repeated the word. The second orgasm was mild compared to the first, but the pleasure still shook Malik as he spilled extra semen onto the sheets. Bakura moaned again, swallowing before speaking. “Oh…okay…that’s exactly what it means.”

“I can’t…move,” Malik sighed.

“Me neither.” 

“Good. I’ll just sleep on top of you, then.” 

“Whatever you want.”

“Ha, you’re so out of it if you’re not even arguing.” 

“I have never felt this good before in my life. Any of my lives.” 

“That’s precisely what I wanted you to say.” Malik managed to lift his head up enough to place a lazy kiss over Bakura's heart. “I love you.” 

“Hmmm. I think I might get used to hearing that.” Bakura fumbled his way through Malik’s hair, combing it with clumsy, exhausted fingers. 

“You whispered it in your sleep,” Malik said, too close to sleep himself to censor his words. 

“I what?” 

“You whispered my name,” Malik explained, “and then you said _I love you_ in Egyptian. That’s why I kissed you in your sleep.” 

“Fuck,” Bakura swore. “I didn’t know.” 

“I thought you’d be upset if you knew you’d said it. I understood why you didn’t want to be in love.” 

“But I do.” Bakura sighed. “It’s agony, but I want to try it, being in love. I want to love you well beyond the end of time.” 


End file.
